www.smokeymountaindulcimer.com - Owned a run by Blaine Horlocker, the Smokey Mountain Dulcimer Works makes a variety of top-class dulcimers. He was taught by his grandfather up in the smokey mountains how to make musical instruments. He makes a fine array of other instruments as well, such as the ever popular strum stick

Smokey Mountain Dulcimer Works
Florida, USA

Phone: 239-910-5216
blaine_horlocker@yahoo.com

 

 

 

www.bearmeadow.com

Owned and run by Dwain Wilder, Bear Meadow Appalachian Dulcimers make fantastic hand-built dulcimers. Below are Dwain's own words from his website:
"My goal is making Appalachian dulcimers of superb beauty, projection, voice and action. I'd be happy to discuss building one for you. And I would also like to pass on as much as I can to aspiring builders and my luthier colleagues, to advance the state of the art. The information in these web pages will give you lots of details about what models I offer and my dulcimer building techniques, which you can use to learn how to build a mountain dulcimer".

email: dwain@bearmeadow.com

 

 

www.myspace.com/hughscullion

This is my good friend Hugh Scullion's website - the maker of my solid bodied electric mandola. An instrument that has become the mainstay of my playing in the band. You can see a pic of me with this instrument on the contact page.

Hugh makes a whole variety of top class musical instruments to customers specifications - each one just as phenomenal as the next.

Hugh also makes the "Strummer" and "Superstrummer".

The Original Strummer - acoustic only

The Superstrummer - acoustic with opt. pickup

The STRUMMER and SUPERSTRUMMER are suitable for melody or chords, but ideal for folk, Irish , celtic and American folk music.Amazingly powerful and sweet sounding instrument. Easy to play and great fun! Ideal for backpacking and holidays.

Phone 01724 863095
email: strummer58@tiscali.co.uk

 

www.jamesjonesinstruments.com

James has been building fine custom musical instruments since 1978 in rural Bedford, Virginia. Working alone in a wood shop he designed and built, he has developed designs for ten different acoustic instruments. He is constantly working on research and development, sometimes alone, sometimes in collaboration with customers and professional musicians. Always striving to build better quality instruments and never content with the status quo. No assembly lines, just a lot of individual attention from start to finish. He can work with you to individualize your instrument or provide you with one he has created. He tries to keep his prices affordable so music can be a part of the lives of more people. A really nice guy and a great builder. Here's what he says about his company:

"I am a custom builder most well known for the 11 different models of hammered dulcimer I build including my ever popular 3/16/18/9 Custom Performance, the Linear Chromatic and Tsimbls. I also build and offer for sale a variety of other musical instruments to include Appalachian Dulcimers, Celtic Harps, Irish Bouzoukis, Guitars, Mandolins, Bowed Psalteries, Zithers, Thumb Pianos and Slit Drums. Also available are a full range of accessories, recordings, instructional materials and cases".

James Jones - Musical Instruments
1384 Coltons Mill Rd,
Bedford, VA 24523-5259

Phone: (540) 586-6319
email: james@jamesjonesinstruments.com

 

www.bluelioninstruments.com

Not only are Blue Lion friendly people to deal with, they also make fabulous instruments. Here's what their website says:

Since 1977, Blue Lion has been offering acoustic guitars and mountain dulcimers of the highest quality. We pride ourselves on the level of craftsmanship and aesthetic style for which our instruments are known, and continually strive to perfect our craft. Our instruments are not manufactured on an assembly line but are individually crafted by the two of us to the highest standards possible. In our 1600 square foot shop we combine the best elements of traditional tools and equipment with modern high precision machinery to produce instruments of unsurpassed quality and excellence.

Blue Lion
10650 Little Quail Lane
Santa Margarita,
CA 93453

phone: (805) 438-5569
email: dulcimers@bluelioninstruments.com

 

www.michaeljking.com

Handmade musical instruments of all shapes, kinds and types - some I have only barely heard of. A fascinating website for all kinds of folkies and those specifically interested in the rarer types of string instruments.

Michael makes a fantastic range of stick dulcimers including an electric model. Although all his instuments are carefully and lovingly crafted from only the choicest woods, his prices seem to me to be very reasonable.

Michael J King

email michaeljking@btinternet.com

 

www.dulcimercraft.com

Jack Larwa of Dulcimercraft makes some truly outstanding dulcimers that not only sound great but are also very pleasing to the eye. Here is an excerpt from his website:

"I construct all of my instruments from top grade solid woods. I test each board for resonant quality before I begin to think about it for an instrument. I use a wide variety of woods ranging from Acer to Ziricote. I predominantly use nitrocellulose lacquer in the finishing of my dulcimers, but for some special projects I will use a French polish procedure, which is basically a fancy way to say "hand-rubbed shellac".

Jack Larwa
208 Jenkins Road
Eddyville, KY 42038

phone: (270) 625 6730
email: jack@dulcimercraft.com

 

www.steveparksmusic.com

Apart from technical skill and craftsmanship, what sets a good instrument apart from a truly great one is the love of music the maker puts into it, and this is what Steve Parks does. Not only does he make some truly wonderful Dulcimers, Octave Mandolins and Tenor Guitars he is also one heck of a nice guy. Here's a snippet from his website:

" In 1972, at the age of fourteen, I first heard a mountain dulcimer, and was completely entranced. Two days later I bought a kit, slapped it together and my life has been ruined ever since. A few more kits, then a couple from scratch (along with a few piles of kindling), learning to play the mandolin and some other instruments, knowing all along that one couldn't hardly get away with doing this for a living.

For several years, I did as much wood carving, cooking, odd jobs, instrument making and playing music as a transient hippie can on kitchen tables and back porches. In 1983 I started work at Colonial Heritage Reproductions in Hinton, Virginia, building fine custom Queen Anne style furniture, doing a lot of carving and restoration and the occasional instrument on and off for ten years.

By my mid-thirties, after trying several professions while playing music on the side, I realized this was what I should have been doing all along, so, with lots of support from my long-suffering wife, dove back into instrument making and performing whenever I wasn't chasing the kids around. Life is good."

Steve Parks
10001 Rooster Ridge Ln.
Dayton,
VA 22821

Phone: (540) 867-0225
email: swparks@northriver.coop

 

www.ulrich-instrumente.de

Wilfried Ulrich OF Ulricus is a maker of truly splendid dulcimers, but also an instrument I wasn't formerly acquainted with - The Hummel. A Hummel is similar to a dulcimer but has drone strings - anyway go look for yourselves, this guy makes some great looking instruments

ULRICUS - Instrumentenbau
Wilfried Ulrich
Am Diekschloot 40
D - 26506 Norden / Ostfriesland

email: ulricus.norden@t-online.de